Hands-On: Binary Domain

Last week saw the launch of the Binary Domain demo, a 600-odd megabyte download which offered a singleplayer experience containing futuristic third person shooting pleasure. Firstly, I think it’s fair to mention that Binary Domain is not as futuristic as Mass Effect, or the likes, but rather just set in the future. It’s not a copy, it’s more unique than that.

And then, prior to the demo, we also wrote a preview for the game. The preview will offer background information, whereas this will be more practical.

The demo for Binary Domain offers a play-through of the first level, as well as bit of the second stage. There’s not much in the second part, so we cannot really assume a length of the game. Depending on how many stages, the game can range from 8 to 10 hours, or so. Which is a lot for a game which sees you shoot robots.

When the demo starts you’re thrown into a tricky situation. You’re asked to choose a team — something with diversity. Each team member has different attributes, and each team member will offer different help and even conversation.

For example, if you choose Big Bo and any other female character — you’re going to hear a bit of banter about the girl. But then again, that’s alright.

So, each team you choose will be dynamic. But, what won’t be dynamic, is you. You’re the front man because your character, conveniently, hates hanging back. He wants to fight people in the face.

Therefore, because of this, you and your team will split up and presumably meet up with the other team later in the game. And to meet up later in the game you need to fight through hordes of robots, robots which don’t die very easily.

Now, I don’t hate much, but what I do hate is games that throw an overabundance of enemies at you. I understand the urgency and the need to kill enemies, and but I don’t understand the reason as to why the game needs to be prolonged with this silly Justin Bieber-like addition to the world.

Thankfully, Binary Domain is somewhat sparing with this — in the demo. There is a part where you’ll kill a lot of robots, but it’s nothing too bad.

In the start of the demo you’re sent to a checkpoint where you run and come across the enemy. This is where you first enter battle and first understand just how dynamic the game really is. From the get go, you’re offered two options: take it easy and eliminate robots slowly, or just shoot everything. Naturally, you’ll land up shooting everything because robots can send messages for help to each other from far, because they are robots.

You’ll come up against snipers and attack robots, where if they are shot down they will continue to shoot you on the floor. You honestly need to either smash their face in with your foot, or shoot them down until they explode. Yeah, they explode, and it’s actually really cool.

The guns are hardcore too. They look great and handle great. The heavy recoil shows just how powerful they actually are. They are pleasing to use because they actually hurt robots, a lot.

Following your first encounter with strategies, you can then command your team and tell them what to do. They can either do something on their own, or you can tell them to storm the front, cover you or hang back. They listen to you, if you behave. And not to mention, you can press buttons to enter into dialogue which pops up while you run through the game. Like, when Big Bo hits on the girl on your team, you can too!

But, it’s noteworthy to mention that “if you behave” is important to remember. If you shoot your teammates, even in cross fire where they will run in front of you, they’ll tell you: listen here buster, stop shooting me. Or something less childish and more hardcore than that.

Regardless of what they say, though, when you shoot your teammates it makes them dislike you a little bit. When they start to dislike you they start to disobey you, like a childish teenager on a soccer field who thinks that he is better than Lionel Messi. Even though he only has one leg.

Once you’ve discovered how dynamic your team is, and how sensitive they can be, you’ll be put up against megarobots — which are boss fights. I’m somewhat sure that each level will have a boss fight, as you’re faced with the biggest mechwarrior you’ve ever seen, on the first level.

The boss fights aren’t as easy as robots either. They require a bit of attention to detail and versatile play. Like any boss fight, really.

But don’t worry, your team will generally help you kill the boss. They’ll tell you to shoot a wire, or jump off a building — not to die, but to land on the head and shoot into the internals. Which might lead you to die, actually.

And to think, that’s all just stage one.

On the second level you’re being helped by a robot. Ironic, isn’t it?

The game doesn’t make all robots bad, as some of them will help you. And the robot in question in stage two is great, he’ll revive you when you’re down. Because, when you’re down you need to revive yourself with an injection containing who-knows-what. Probably heroin mixed with adrenalin and morphine. I suspect that’s a good mix.

Binary Domain’s setting is great. It’s modern and it offers outdoor battles. There’s a storyline which could possibly melt your heart. It tries to carry emotion, and because the human race, in its entirety, is being troubled with the problem of robots — you should feel concerned. Unlike when America needs to fight Afgan’s for oil in every other shooting game, ever. Except Counter-Strike.

Overall Binary Domain is great, if one can judge by the demo. I think, from what the short 30 minutes of gameplay could offer, we’ve all overlooked this title. I don’t suggest a first day purchase, though, because we’ll review it for you and then you can decide. It’s a game which is great on demo, but it could quite possibly offer a lot of bad further on. And by bad I mean hordes of enemies and other hate and deceitful things. Which means, wait for a review.

If you can, get your hands on the demo while you wait for the game. And, so you know, the game will offer multiplayer with co-op and versus modes.

the ultimate conversation ender: “like” xD! On topic though, this game feels like the same ol’ same ol’ tbh..

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001518271446 Daniel Lau

looks pretty awesome…..looking at a review first b4 playing it though

http://domzor.tumblr.com Dom van Blerk

The robot in that second screenshot looks sad. :(

ChancellorAceX

I hate overabundance of enemies too. It’s not bad if there’s purpose to it, but like in Earth Defense Force 2, there were just soooo many buugs.. by the end of every level you feel brain dead and like you wasted the past half hour of your life… which you did….

sage of the six paths

I’ve never really thought much of this game but I’m slowly starting to change my mind. I’ll wait for the review before making my final judgement.